ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF RECREATIONAL BIRD WATCHING IN THE HORICON MARSH AREA
Jon P. Motquin
Experiential tourism is a broad based category that is used to describe a wide range of nonconsumptive nature based tourism activities. The most popular nonconsumptive recreational activities include viewing, photographing, or feeding wildlife. In 2001, over 66.1 million Americans participated in wildlife viewing. Of these individuals, 96 percent viewed birds. In Wisconsin, almost 2.2 million people viewed birds either at their residence or throughout the state.
Located in east central Wisconsin, the Horicon Marsh is one of the premier birding destinations in Wisconsin. Even though it is known that ornithological club members will travel great distances to the Horicon Marsh, the economic impact created by their pursuits is not well documented. This study employed stated preference analyses, specifically contingent valuation, to quantify the economic impact recreational bird watchers generated within the Horicon Marsh area. Contingent valuation is a survey based methodology that can be used to measure the non-use values of non-market natural resources such as avian populations.
Through the administration of 304 mail surveys, much information was elucidated on the socio-demographics, personal motivations, and management preferences of recreational bird watchers in the Horicon Marsh area. The average bird watcher in the Horicon Marsh area is a 52 year old Caucasian male who has been viewing bird for 17 years and has an average household income of $70,026. Results showed that visitors to the Horicon Marsh felt strongly about preserving bird population and their habitat. Almost two-thirds (65%) of viewers strongly supported or supported the creation of a bird watching stamp which would benefit bird habitat conservation.
Logistic regression analyses were performed on the responses from the valuation questions. The survey contained two dichotomous choice referendum based questions. One question stabilized avian populations at their current levels, while the other either increased or decreased the overall population. These questions were followed by an open-ended valuation question on the stabilization of avian populations.
The results indicated a mean, annual individual willingness –to-pay of $106.82 for avian populations stabilized at their current levels. This value was aggregated to the general Horicon users at the Horicon Marsh showing an aggregate mean annual willingness-to-pay of $42,728,000.
The valuation measurements determined in this study are an invaluable tool for both policymakers and wildlife managers alike. These valuations can be used in future cost-benefit analyses that must be performed for avian management programs. This study has elucidated the numbers of recreational bird watchers and their overall economic impact on the Horicon Marsh area.